Picture this - You're taking a train ride along the Hudson River and spot a pile of old tires along the shore. Or perhaps you are kayaking and notice a chemical odor when you explore a small inlet. So who are you going to call?
Chances are the Riverkeeper organization will top your list. If you have spent any time near the Hudson River you have seen the small boat with RIVERKEEPER emblazoned across its side. John Liscomb is Riverkeeper's patrol boat operator. He travels about 6,000 miles a year on the Hudson keeping his eyes open for possible problems and checking on concerns from folks like you and me.
Listen to John's story.
"Can I swim in the Hudson?"
This is the question John has heard repeatedly over the 9 years he has been patrolling the river. The river's water quality has improved dramatically since 1972 and because of that more and more people are using the river for swimming, boating and fishing.
To provide the citizens with the data to help them answer that question, Riverkeeper and researchers from Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and Queens College began monitoring the water quality three years ago.
Once a month John and his research assistants collect samples at 80 sites spanning the 150 miles of river from New York Harbor to just north of Troy. We joined John one early morning in July.
All the results from Riverkeeper's water quality testing are posted on-line. Riverkeeper hopes to alert the public to the need for local and state agenies to increase their water quality testing and establish a way to notify the public when a problem exists. Read more about their Swimmable River Campaign.
Harmful bacteria can also settle to the bottom of the Hudson. John is using a kind of mechanical jaw to grab a sample of the sediment for testing.
As the boat moves it begins to pump in water passing it through sensors. This on-board hydrolab measures the water quality and is interfaced with a GPS system so that the exact location of the sample is also recorded.
Research assistants Julianne Hagarty and Carol Anne Knudson.
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